Unbalanced
by xRaela
Summary: Lorelai feels unbalanced when she returns early from a trip to an answering machine message regarding an accident her husband and daughter were involved in. For the first time in a long time, she feels completely alone.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- I think we all wish we owned the Gilmore Girls and it's fantastic characters, sadly we don't.**

**Please review**

**Unbalanced **

Thick waves of sandy blonde hair fell through Lorelai's fingers in the darkness. Her heavy eyes blinked for what felt like the first time in hours; she lay close to her three and a half year old daughter in an unfamiliar bed, an unfamiliar town; yes, she was tired, exhausted, but she wouldn't allow herself to sleep for the fear losing everything she cherished.

Allowing her eyes to divert away from her young daughter's sleeping form to the cell phone clasped tightly in her left hand, she read the display; 3:46am. Lorelai sighed deeply, allowing the fingertips of her right hand to dance gently and freely across her baby's forehead. She wanted nothing more to scoop her up in both arms and hold her tight to her chest, close her eyes and breathe in the sweet scent of her little girl, just like she did when she was a baby; only the risk of disturbing her much needed sleep stopped her. _She needs to sleep_ Lorelai told herself _she needs to sleep soundly and peacefully after the two days she's had_. Fresh tears pricked the corners of Lorelai's bright blue eyes at the thought of what her daughter might have been feeling; how scared she must have felt without her Mommy and Daddy for two whole days.

Isabel Audrey Danes stirred in her sleep, mumbling something incoherent, prompting Lorelai to lean even closer to her, dropping a soft, shaky kiss on her forehead."Shh Bella" Lorelai whispered, "We'll see him tomorrow" more to herself than her dreaming daughter.

With her head now back on her pillow, Lorelai closed her eyes; forcing herself to stop looking at the clock. _8am they said. A few more hours._ If it wasn't for Bella, she'd be there now; at the hospital, pacing the waiting room, sneaking in to see him, bribing anyone she could fin to let her sit with him; anything to put her mind at ease.

**Lorelai charged through the hospital doors; like a whirlwind she found the reception desk in the emergency room."My baby" she panted through her tears, "My husband and my daughter... I had a message on my machine from..." Lorelai shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts in order to make sense to the young girl behind the desk, "... the message got left I don't know when, not today." She narrowed her eyes, replaying in her head what the date automated machine told her, trying to allow her aching brain to work out when this happened. "The day before yesterday" Lorelai finally decided. "Please, please tell me they're ok".  
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Lorelai quickly opened her eyes; she didn't want to relive any moment from the last 24 hours ever again. She just needed him; she needed her family back.

"**I'm afraid your daughter isn't here Mrs Danes, after the-"  
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"**What?" Lorelai interrupted the Doctor sat on the chair beside her in the relatives' room. "The message said that she, I don't... what?" Her head felt foggy and she could barely breathe.  
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**The Doctor cleared his throat and began to explain once more "Your husband has been taken for a second surgery; we need to stop a small bleed that-"  
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**Lorelai nodded quickly, growing impatient; she'd heard this before "Yes, he's alive right. Luke's alive? But where is my baby? Why isn't she... oh god, please no."Lorelai quickly stood from her seat; her palms pressed together, she began to pace the otherwise deserted relatives' room.  
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"**Mrs Danes, please, sit down; your daughter is fine. She suffered a few minor injuries, which I will explain further when you're ready. She's been placed with a foster family for the time being"**

Lorelai quickly sat up in the bed; willing for her mind just to shut down for even a minute so she wouldn't relive this nightmare for a second longer. She looked down at her peaceful daughter and sighed a small sigh of relief before swinging her legs from the bed and slowly taking the few steps across the hotel room it took for her to get to the bathroom. She turned on the light then looked back at her reflection in the mirror above a simple sink; her eyes red and swollen from crying, her face pale and tired. Her eyes travelled to her slightly rounded stomach and she smiled weakly, placing her palms at either side; blinking back fresh tears, Lorelai whispered "Let's get pretty for Daddy"

...

**5 days earlier...**

Luke placed 3 large suitcases in the trunk of Lorelai's car, before turning to face his wife. "Have a god time ok?" He checked, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her close."Take care of April."

Lorelai grinned up at her husband, her hands placed on his shoulders "Luke, she's-"

"17, I know. She'll be at college next year; I know all this. I just didn't think the day I'd be sending her off for her first week long bachelorette party would come so soon" Lorelai laughed at his response before leaning into him for a long tender kiss.

"I'll miss you" she told him sweetly as they parted; her lips still close to his. "Whatever will you do without me for 6 whole days?"

"I'm sure I'll come up with something" he smirked

"Wrong answer" Luke shrugged at Lorelai's reply before she continued."You're supposed to say 'I'm going to sit in front of the TV all week, watching 'The way we were', eating popcorn and-'" Luke interrupted her with a short kiss.

"I think you've got me confused with you" he murmured against her lips. Lorelai grinned, stepping back a little to see his face, while her hands travelled affectionately down his chest."Take care of my baby" her told her.

Lorelai opened her mouth to respond, only for Luke to place his hand on her stomach. She smiled widely, realising he wasn't speaking of April this time. "And you take care of mine" she told him before looking over her shoulder at their daughter giving April instructions on how to hold her Mommy's hair back in case she sick in the mornings just like her Daddy does. She furrowed her brow and shook her head at the thought process of her 3 year old.

"You should get going or I'll have Rory _and_ your mother on the phone asking why you haven't arrived on time" Luke kissed her once more "Have fun and remember... it's not appropriate to share intimate details of our sex life at a bachelorette party when the bride to be is your daughter and you're taking mine with you."

Lorelai chuckled briefly at his attempt of telling her keep private details of their marriage private before kissing him one last time, stepping back and calling for April to get in the car.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- I only own Bella, nothing else unfortunately.**

**I'm from the UK so I've tried hard to make sure I'm typing Mommy instead of Mummy, etc, but if you notice words Americans wouldn't say, feel free to correct me, however if you know what I'm talking about, I hope we're not gonna fall out over such a thing.**

**Thankyou for all who read, favourited and set alerts for this; it's great knowing people wish to read more. A massive thankyou to those two who reviewed, I hope you keep reviewing and that more will join you- I'd love to know your views.**

**I didn't mean to leave this as long as I did, life and wrk got in the way; but hopefully I won't take weeks to add each part.**

**Okay, so on with the story- this picks up from where the last part left off, so we're continuing with the '5 days earlier' part and hopefully any gaps will get filled as we continue and catch up with the snippet i began with initially. **

**Again, Thank you all for reading and PLEASE review.**

They'd only been driving for a little over 10 minutes when April glanced away from her netbook, after hearing a quiet sniffle from her step-mother. April gave her a sideways glace before muttering "oh boy" and closing the lid of her personal computer. "Pull over" she requested.

Lorelai jumped up a little at the sound of her demanding voice; she knew April was working on something for school and that some of their journey would commence in silence, she'd even stopped herself from turning on the radio as soon as they'd entered the car, anticipating that, given an hour to get on with whatever she had to do, April would give in to the excitement of the week ahead and what Lorelai would describe as 'a proper road-trip' would begin.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at April, quickly glancing back up at the road as she turned a short corner."Huh?" she murmured.

"Pull over", April repeated, eyeing the silent tears that were still escaping steadily from her eyes. Lorelai furrowed her brow further, but quickly did as she was asked; pulling over at the side of the quiet road before turning to her step-daughter, who simply pushed her hand towards her, palm up, wriggling her fingers impatiently.

Lorelai glanced down at the teenager's hand and then raised her head to meet with her eyes; eyes which Lorelai considered to be very much like her father's- not in colour of course, but in depth; she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something about April's eyes that only made her think of those beautiful blue orbs of her husband.

"Hand over the keys; I'm driving" April told her with authority. When Lorelai continued to eye her suspiciously, April's expression softened. "We're only going to get into an accident with you driving in this state; what would Dad say then?"

Lorelai sighed a heavy sigh, quickly wiping away tears with the backs of her hands."I don't know why I'm so emotional; I guess it's the hormones." She made a move to unbuckle her seatbelt with shaky hands, when April took hold of one gently. Their eyes met again briefly and Lorelai forced a small smile "We've never been apart; not really. Luke's one thing, but Bella?"

"I know" April smiled. "Hey, we could turn back around; I'm sure Rory would understand. I mean, it's not like this is gonna be her _only_ bachelorette party, she..."

Lorelai raised her hand "Alright" she interrupted, "I get it, I know. I'll be fine; it's just the hormones like I said. I'll be fine and they'll be fine... they'll be..."

"Fine" April confirmed, squeezing her hand quickly.

Lorelai inhaled deeply, quickly unbuckling her seatbelt and opening her car door. April followed her lead and the pair met at the front of the car. They shared a knowing smile and Lorelai mouthed the word 'thanks' to her.

Once back inside the car, April pulled the seatbelt across her body and waited for Lorelai to do the same. Lorelai forced a wide smile her way, before speaking in a mock-serious tone;"I hope you know how to drive my car...took me a while to get used to, ya know".

April shrugged, "This big thing, I'm sure we'll get along perfectly." She quickly turned on the engine and proceeded along the road. "Oooh, smooth!" she nodded in appreciation."Much better than driving Dad's truck or Mom's car."

Lorelai nodded "You really think your Dad would let me drive anything else when I'm escorting Bella on a daily basis?" she asked with a chuckle.

"You're absolutely right there." April agreed, turning onto a motorway after glancing down at the satnav, "I remember the argument you had over your jeep when you were pregnant with her."

"Yeah, I guess it's lucky the thing decided to give up on me when I was in my seventh month, or I don't know how we'd have resolved that one." She leant her elbow on the window and rested her head in her hand, gazing out the window of her baltic blue coloured Land Rover. "He's gotten better anyway..." Lorelai started, turned her head slightly as she spoke to April, "...He's taking his truck on this little trip they're taking tomorrow."

April shrugged "its fishing" she answered matter-of-factly."You're supposed to drive trucks when you go fishing...I wonder what she'll make of the fishing scene; camping and all that."

"Bella? She's a Daddy's girl" Lorelai grinned. "Anywhere he takes her, she'll love... He'll protect her from the bears and the dark and everything else little girls are scared of; I'm sure he'll even pack supplies for smores, even though she wouldn't know what she's missing."

April gasped in surprise "She's never tried a smore?"

Lorelai giggled quickly at how much she'd just reminded her of her own grown-up daughter before shaking her head, "When has she ever had the opportunity? She's 3; it's her first camping trip... I'm glad he gets to do this with her; even if it does mean I miss out on one of her 'firsts'" she ended her sentence with a soft smile.

Meanwhile, back in Stars Hollow; Luke stood in the foyer of their family home with their daughter. He looked down at her, clapping his hands together before quickly rubbing his palms back and forth. "Okay, it's just me and you now Miss Danes; I believe we need some sort of plan."

Bella looked at her Daddy, tilting her head to the side; seemingly deep in thought.

"We leave first thing tomorrow morning."He told her, listing everything they'd need in his head as he spoke. "Okay, Daddy's gonna grab the fishing and camping gear from the basement and then we'll clear out the fridge and make some lunch. Sound like a plan?" he checked. Bella nodded quickly, smiling up at her father with bright blue eyes.

The youngster watched as her Daddy opened the door to the basement and disappeared down the stairs; she rocked back and forth on her feet before nodding a small decisive nod and making her way to the large kitchen of their home.

With both hands, Bella pulled open the fridge and stood on her tip-toes to inspect the items inside. She pulled a container of left-over Chinese from the fridge, opened the top to smell its contents just as she'd seen her Mother do before screwing up her face and dropping it into the nearby bin.

After moving around a few items of fresh fruits and vegetables and taking a small bite of an apple, before placing it on the table; Bella grabbed a chair and pulled it towards the fridge to stand on. She immediately grimaced at the sight of packet of ripe cherry tomatoes and dropped them into the bin, quickly followed by an open pot of coleslaw and a few other items she decided she didn't like the look of.

Luke waltzed into the kitchen just in time to catch Bella standing on the chair, reaching as high as she possibly could for a pizza box on the top shelf of the fridge. He quickly launched forward, steadying his daughter by her waist with one hand and grabbing the box with the other. He smiled down at her sweetly before opening the box for the pair of them to inspect."How many days do you think?" he asked her.

"100?" she asked with a toothy grin.

Luke chucked "Knowing your mother, you're probably not far off" He dropped the offending box into the bin before reaching for his baby girl and placing her on his hip."I see you started without me..."

"I think I'm done. Everything disgusting and smelly is in the bin."She told him with a nod.

Luke pulled the chair away from the fridge with his free hand, stepping towards it and glancing inside. He grabbed an open carton of plain yoghurt and dumped that before placing his daughter gently on the floor."Good job Belles" he praised her. "What would you like for lunch?"

"Hmmm...What are you having Daddy?"

Luke looked behind him quickly, glancing at what was left in the fridge."A sandwich and a small salad, I guess"

"Me too!" Bella chirped, placing her hands on her hips and holding her head his.

Luke smiled down at his daughter, smoothing down her sandy blonde hair softly with his hand."You want a salad?" He checked with raised eyebrows.

Bella nodded "Lettuces and cucumbers! Cheeeseee sandwich please!"

Luke laughed at her cheesy grin, bending slightly to pick her back up, tickling the sides of her stomach."You _are_ a cheese sandwich" he told her.

"Am not, am not!" Bella insisted between giggles.

"You will be the rate you're going." He chuckled, taking his offending fingers away from her stomach and settling her on his hip once more and turning to the fridge. He pulled out the lettuce, cucumber and cheese, placing them on the counter beside the fridge, before grabbing a bowl of leftover tuna and a jar of low-fat mayonnaise. He scanned the fridge quickly before turning his head to his daughter with a frown, "Didn't we have some tomatoes in here?"

Bella bit down on her lip mischievously before giggling softly and whispering "tomatoes are disgusting Daddy."

Luke glanced down into the bin and groaned a small groan of frustration."You really are your mother's daughter".


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed.**

**I know it's been a while again and for that, I'm sorry. **

**Nothing much happens here, the story will get meaty eventually.**

**I hope you guys continue to read and enjoy**

**Please review!**

A few hours later, Luke and Bella sat on the carpeted living room floor; Luke with his back to the couch, whilst the youngster knelt at his side, leaning forward with her hands pressed into his thighs as they both looked through a photo album Lorelai had once put together for him after finding a box of old photos in his apartment.

Luke turned the page and Bella quickly gasped with excitement "Can we swim in the river too Daddy!"

Luke laughed a short laugh, "That's the lake sweetheart, not a river, but sure if it's not too cold; I've packed your swimsuit".

"And my armbands?" Bella checked quickly, only for Luke to shake his head in reply.

Bella frowned slightly and Luke smiled softly "I think it's about time I taught you how to swim a little, don't you think?"

"Swim foreeal?"

"Swim for real" Luke nodded in confirmation. Bella returned her eyes to the photo in front of her, tracing her small index finger over one of a younger version of her Daddy stood beside a tree with his skinny arm around a young girl. "That's your Auntie Liz" he informed his daughter. "She visited at Christmas, remember?"

Bella nodded "TJ gotta screw loose" repeating words she'd heard her Daddy muttering a number of times.

"Daddy's gotta learn to keep his mouth shut around little ears" he kissed her forehead and turned another page, his breath catching in his throat, instantly spotted his favourite picture of his Mother.

Bella's finger traced the outline of the woman's wavy hair "Auntie Liz again?"

"No sweetie, that's my Mom"

"Your Mommy went camping too?" Bella checked with a frown.

"Sometimes she did, yeah".

"My Mommy come camping?"

Luke laughed a little, trying to picture sleeping in a tent, "Maybe she will, one day when the baby is a little bigger. We'll have to persuade her, two against one" he chuckled slightly turning over the next page. "Ahh, see, now that's a good sized fish; that's what we've got to aim for tomorrow right Belles?" Isobel nodded and Luke ran his fingers through her sandy loose curls, pushing them away from her face."That's my girl."

Bella reached across him to turn the page over as the phone began to ring. Luke shifted a little, placing the album on the floor; leaving Bella to continue exploring the pages while he answered the phone, groaning a little as he pushed himself up from the floor.

"Hello?" he dropped into the large comfy chair beside the small table that served as a home for the phone cradle.

"Hi babe" Lorelai's cheery voice sang to him.

"Hey" Luke smiled softly, "How's the drive so far?"

"Great, April's driving and guess what?..."

"What?" he grinned.

"You're supposed to guess!"

"Lorel-"

Lorelai sighed, quickly impatient and wanting to share her news. "The baby..._your_ baby; the lover of all things green, hater of anything that tastes good, _that_ baby just let me eat four tacos- _four!_"

Luke grimaced slightly "And I'm supposed to be happy about this?"

"Of course you're supposed to be happy about this" Lorelai grinned as April stopped at a red light. "If I'm happy the baby's happy and if I'm happy, ultimately _you'll_ be happy" she added with a suggestive grin that Luke could sense through the phone.

"Ew" April protested from the driver's seat, "Do you _have_ to?"

Lorelai chuckled happily "Your daughter's not very happy with your need to be happy."

Luke smirked into the phone, watching as Bella left the photo album on the floor and padded across the carpet towards him "So I hear. Speaking of Daughters; the little one would like to know if you'll ever come camping with us."

"Definitely."

Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You would"

"Well, sure. I mean it's a family thing right; you used to go with Liz and your parents. Our children should experience that too. I can manage a night or two in a tent with my favourite man pillow"

"Again, _ew_" April voiced loudly.

"Hey you," Lorelai pointed her index finger towards her step daughter who focussed on the road, "there was no 'dirty' there, now leave step-mommy alone".

Luke laughed a little at their exchange "How much longer have you got to go?"

Lorelai shrugged "A little under 3 hours I guess. Trust Rory to choose a place so far away"

Luke frowned "Surely there were spas closer to home she could have chosen" his concern of his pregnant wife travelling so far not hidden in his voice.

"It's fine. This place is apparently great for groups; bachelorette parties. Anyway, it's not as far for her, she probably didn't even think."

"Hmmm"

"Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I really would love to come camping with you and short-stuff. In a couple of weeks maybe? After all this wedding stress had died down."

"Really? So soon?"

"Sure; as long as Bella enjoys herself and wants to go again; it'll be fun. We should go before I get too big and uncomfortable; this summer's perfect. Next summer, we'll have an infant to take care of. Book it." She smiled widely.

Luke nodded "I'll talk to the little one about it. Wanna talk to her quickly before you go?"

"Definitely"

Luke passed the phone to his daughter, who had now climbed up onto his knee, "Mommy's on the phone" he told her.

Bella held the phone to her ear "Mommy?"she checked.

Lorelai smiled widely "Hey baby Bella, are you being good for Daddy?"

Bella nodded.

"Bella? Are you having a good time without Mommy? Has Daddy shown you all his camping goodies?" Again, Bella nodded.

Luke laughed a little, "Belles, you have to answer; say 'yes', she can't see you" he told her softly.

"Yes" Bella repeated quietly into the phone.

"Do you miss Mommy? I miss you baby and Daddy. I'll call again before bedtime okay?"

Bella nodded and Luke laughed once more, taking the phone from her gently."She's nodding away; I don't think she gets the phone thing yet."

"Give her a big kiss from me?"

"Of course."

"I love you, so much; both of you."

Luke grinned "we know. Now stop being all hormonal, we'll see you in a few days."

"Five" Lorelai pouted.

"I love you too. I'll speak to you later okay?"

This time it was Lorelai's turn to nod. A second or so later, she finally spoke "Yeah I'll call you when we get all checked in before the little one is in bed."

"Bye"

"Bye babe"

Luke placed the phone back in the cradle, smiling down at it for a few seconds before turning his attentions back to his daughter, "Do you want to help Daddy cook dinner?"

Bella nodded "Chicken".

"You want chicken for dinner?" he asked, holding her close as he stood from the chair, balancing her on his hip.

"Spinach"

"Spinach huh?" he asked bemused.

Bella rested both hands on his shoulder "Fried chicken and mash potato!"

Luke groaned as they entered the kitchen, placing her on the counter "And spinach?" he checked with hope, knowing no matter how much he told himself different, he'd give into his daughter's every whim while she was without her mother for the first time.

Bella nodded a strong single nod "And spinach" she confirmed.

"You're an odd mix babygirl. A perfect odd little mix." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead before getting to work on dinner.

...

"Mom" Lorelai heard her daughter's excited voice cry out as she entered the lobby with April at her side. She immediately turned, catching her daughter in her arms, holding her tightly. She ran her fingers through the hair at the back of her head. "You finally made it".

Lorelai pulled back slightly "Let me look at you...wow."

Rory blushed "You saw me two weeks ago Mom."

"Says the girl who almost knocked over three people in a rush to get to me." She took hold of Rory's hands; "Wow" she repeated "you're getting married."

Rory nodded "I'm getting married."

Lorelai shook her head "This isn't right. I'm pregnant and my daughter is getting married. I'm too young, you're too young."

"I'm 26"

Lorelai sighed "Where has the time gone?"

Emily appeared at Rory's side "Nice to see you made Lorelai...April" she nodded her greeting.

April smiled "We were driving for 5 hours straight Mrs Gilmore."

Emily waved her hand a little "Oh April, How many times have I told you to call me 'Emily', I'm practically your Grandmother for goodness sake."

"Sorry Emily" April nodded as Lorelai turned to give her an apologetic smile. "Sookie's sorry she couldn't make it" She told Rory as she turned back to face her.

Rory nodded, "I know, she called me twice and sent us a huge hamper of food as an apology."

"How's that future son-in-law of mine?"

"He's great" Rory couldn't hide her smile if she'd tried. "Oh! I forgot to say, he's managed to talk the paper round into letting us both have some time off around your due date, so we can come over to Stars Hollow; help you guys out and get to know the little one."

Lorelai smiled "That's really great." She shook her head "I still can't get over that _my_ baby is going to spend the _rest_ of her life with an English guy named Preston!" She ended with a short laugh.

Rory rolled her eyes "He was born in Vermont, his parents are English"

Lorelai dismissed her daughter's correction with a wave of her hand looking towards the front desk where her mother had already led April to check them in. "Come on, you can help us get settled and then I can call home before bedtime."

"Erm, yeah- about that..." Rory started, "... it appears that none of us have any service on our cells here. Mine cut out 45 minutes down the road, same with Paris and Lane, Grandma says hers hasn't worked since she got here." She watched as Lorelai quickly pulled her cell from her jeans pocket, holding it above her head and checking the display.

"Great"

"I guess we now know why this place was so cheap. On the bright side, we've had the tour; the spa's great, the rooms are beautiful and they've planned SO many activities for us."

Lorelai frowned, looking down at her phone."I need to call home."

Rory hooked her arm around her mother's guiding her towards the elevator where Emily and April were waiting."Come on, let's get you settled in and then you can sweet talk the front desk into them letting you use their phone okay?"

Lorelai allowed her daughter to pull her towards the elevator muttering "What kind of place has no phone service these days?"

By the time Lorelai got round to calling home, Bella was already asleep in bed; Luke apologised, explaining that she was falling asleep in front of the TV and they had an early start the next morning. Lorelai turned her back from the young man behind the reception desk, speaking quietly into the phone as she told Luke how much she missed him already, how she was positive she wouldn't be able to sleep and passed on a message from April.

After explaining the phone situation to Luke, he signed and said he'd see her when they got back. Lorelai promised to try and call after they returned from camping, to which Luke assured her that they were only spending one night. They exchanged 'I love you's before Lorelai returned to the quiet hotel room and attempted to sleep herself.

An hour later, with no success, Lorelai knocked on both Rory and April's doors, asking them both to hang out with her a while; that night Lorelai eventually fell to sleep, managing to catch a few hours, nestled between her daughter and step daughter.

After hanging up, Luke made a quick call to Anna, explaining the phone situation so that she wouldn't worry if she didn't hear from April in the next few days. Luke checked the doors and windows were locked downstairs before turning off the lights and quietly moving up stairs; peeking into Bella's lightly lit room, before stepping inside and for the first time since she was a baby, Luke sat and just watched his daughter sleep.

An hour or so later, Luke woke in the soft pink chair beside his daughter's bed; not even realising he'd fallen asleep. He stood and stretched out before placing a gentle kiss on his daughter's head and making his way to his and Lorelai's bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

**Again, thank you to everyone who is readind, adding to their alerts and favourites and those who are reviewing. It really is great to know what you all think.**

**I hope these parts leading up to 'the thing' aren't boring anyone, I kind of just want to set the scene, build it up.**

**I forgot to do a disclaimer on the last part, so here it goes- I unfortunately do not own Gilmore Girls or it's characters. I can only claim Bella.**

**Once again, Thanks guys and please review**

Lorelai sighed lightly, her fingers tapping her rounded stomach impatiently as she stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling of her hotel room. The room was still dull, with hardly any light creeping in from the side of the closed curtains; a sign that it was early _too early_ Lorelai thought to herself. She felt the soft breaths of both April and Rory on each side of her face, tickling her ears occasionally. She wondered what it was that stopped her from being able to sleep; was it the unfamiliar room? The bed that was too soft for her liking? Lorelai shook her head slowly, dismissing the ideas from her head; she'd always been able to sleep anywhere. She knew it wasn't the company she'd kept that night; they wriggled and kicked a lot less that Isabel and breathed much softer than Luke.

Lorelai turned her head to her right, casting a quick glance at April, smirking at her puckered and slightly open mouth as she slept, reminding her of her husband before turning her head to the left to glance at Rory, furrowing her brow at the frown that shadowed her daughter's usual peaceful sleeping expression. Lorelai sighed once more; unable to deny the true reason she was unable to sleep. _It never used to be like this_ she told herself _I slept __**so**__ many nights alone before, so many nights without him- now shouldn't be any different._ Lorelai spread her palms over her stomach, knowing exactly why it was different now; she'd not only grown accustom to him being around; the annoying little things he did, the way he sighed whenever she moved around too much trying to find a comfy position before nestling close to him, settling for the one place they both knew she'd end up. No, it wasn't just that. Despite the fact she'd spent many more years sleeping without him, many _many_ more years spent alone than with him; he was now all she knew and there was no getting away from that. He was not only her husband, lover and friend, but also her comfort, her security, her _always_. Lorelai Gilmore, who was once so strong and independent and didn't need anyone else but her daughter, was now Lorelai Danes and even though it had only been a few years, Lorelai could hardly remember a time that it was any different.

Rory's eyes fluttered open slowly, moving onto her side to face her mother; rubbing one hand over her sleepy eyes before finally opening them fully, she watched as Lorelai stared up at the ceiling, not even noticing the movement her daughter had made. Rory's eyes moved from her mother's face to her hands placed securely on her rounded stomach before tentatively moving one of hers to join them. Lorelai immediately flinched, jumping from her thoughts with a sharp intake of air."Sorry" Rory apologised, her hand now hovering above her mother's stomach.

Lorelai smiled softly at her daughter, shaking her head slowly before taking Rory's hand in her own and placing it on her cotton covered stomach."Weird huh?" she grinned, watching as Rory studied the surface her palm rested on.

Rory smiled up at her mother with a small nod, "Does it feel different, ya know from last time or-"

"Or the time before that?"Lorelai checked with a knowing chuckle.

"Yeah"

Lorelai moved the fabric of her t-shirt up over her stomach, affectionately moving her fingers over her stretched skin."Different, but kinda the same" she mused. "I've been sick more than I was with Bella, but not as much as I was with you...although I didn't really get sick with you until later. It feels so new, even though I've done it twice before; the last time wasn't even that long ago." Lorelai's eyes met her daughter's lovingly. "I hope you're not getting any ideas kid."

Rory's eyes immediately widened "Oh no, no!"

Lorelai nodded "Good. It's already strange enough having one grown up daughter...almost married daughter, a three year old and another one on the way. I can't be dealing with my babies having nieces and nephews before they can read and write too"

Rory chuckled a little at the look of distaste on her mother's face, "Don't worry Mom, Preston and I have got plenty of time for all of that. We're both so busy; we haven't even really spoken about it".

Lorelai frowned "You haven't?"

"No, not properly."

"But he wants children eventually right? Coz I know you Rory and I _know_ you'll want them." Rory nodded quickly, seeing her mother's concern flash across her face.

"We're fine, great. We both want children, but later; that's what I meant. We have time, lots of time and we can always steal yours for the weekend if we need a little fix."

"Ah, well I don't know about that. I'm already starting to re-think this trip" Lorelai spoke truthfully.

Rory pushed herself into sitting position, "Mom, I-"

Lorelai glanced down at April as she pushed herself up slowly, trying not to wake her, "It's fine Rory. I shouldn't have said that. I want to be here; of course I want to be here for you. I just miss them both so much already; I've never left Bella overnight and Luke? Well, I'm starting to realise how annoyingly used to him I am" she grumbled.

"Couldn't sleep ?"

Lorelai shook her head "And I'm _so_ tired Rory."

"Oh Mom" Rory sympathised, reaching out to stroke her hair just as Lorelai used to do for her."You know, I wouldn't totally hate you if you went home right? I don't want you to be here miserable."

Lorelai shook her head quickly "I'm not miserable, just pathetic. I'll get over it as soon as we hit the spa." She took her daughter's hand in hers, giving it a quick squeeze, "we need this time kid; we've hardly had anytime just the two of us for months."

"I know, but I guess we're going to have to get used to it. I mean, if Luke has his way, he'll have you barefoot and pregnant for years and me? Well, Preston and I have got the career ladder to climb, places to see, things to do."

"Just don't let him drag you off to England. I know you love Europe and Grandchildren with little London accents would be adorable, but I don't think I could handle the miles babe."

Rory shook her head with a smirk "No plans to leave the country."

"Promise?"

"Promise" Rory smiled."And how many times do I have to tell you, Preston is _American_!"

"Oh shush you" Lorelai waved her hand dismissingly, "You're ruining my fun."

"Mom, no matter how many times you practise the story, nobody is going to believe that your daughter married into the Royal family okay?"

...

Luke groaned as he woke, stretched out his limbs and automatically reached for Lorelai on her side of the bed. It only took him a second after frowning and realising she wasn't there to remember where she was. He rolled onto his back and sighed a deep sigh, hearing it rattle in the empty room before pushing himself up and out of the bed. He moved quietly through the house, knowing his daughter was still sleeping, but quickly peering into her room for confirmation. Satisfied by the sound of her deep breathing that she'd be asleep for a little while longer, he moved downstairs and towards the foyer, where he'd stacked the camping gear the night before. He opened the door to a small closet, quickly selecting a light weight jacket and pushing his arms through the sleeves before unlocking the front door and hauling the equipment out into the bed of the truck.

After his second trip to the truck, Luke stood with his hands on his hips breathing in the early morning air with a contented smile on his face. He looked into the bed of the truck, checking he had everything he needed, smiling a little at Bella's small pull-along 'hello kitty' case Lorelai had insisted she needed for the trip resting next to his old, worn duffle bag. With one last large intake of breath, Luke nodded a single nod of satisfaction before returning indoors, hanging up his jacket and making his way into the large family kitchen. He ignored his automatic instinct to prepare coffee and turned to the fridge instead, pulling out all the necessary ingredients to prepare a full breakfast for his little girl on the morning of their first ever camping trip.

...

Isabel pushed her untamed morning curls from her face with both hands as she stepped out into the quiet hallway. She padded across the soft carpet to her parents room, pushing open the door and peering round only to find the bed empty. She stepped into the room and walked across to their private bathroom, pushing the door open to find the room also empty. On her way back to the hallway, Bella scrambled up onto her parents' large bed, bouncing a few times while she had the chance before jumping off, landing on the floor loudly and hurrying towards the stairs. She held tightly onto the rail as she moved down the first two steps and called "Marco?" loudly.

In the kitchen, Luke winced hearing a large bang on the floor above but immediately shook his head with a smirk, knowing exactly what his daughter was up to. He continued to stir the eggs he was scrambling in the pan in front of him while keeping an eye on the pan behind where the bacon was frying. He heard his daughter's voice call out something he couldn't quite make out in the distance and then again a little clearer, until the third time he heard a clear "Marco?" as she got closer. Luke rolled his eyes, a small grunt escaping his lips "I told her not to teach the kid the stupid game" he muttered to himself. Again, he heard a clear "Marco?" as Bella searched the living room.

"Kitchen" Luke called out loudly for his daughter to hear. Seconds later he was greeted with a bouncing three year old, clad in purple bunny pyjamas, bare feet and messy hair. She charged at his legs, hugging him tightly and Luke dropped one hand to the top of her sandy blonde hair, smoothing it down affectionately.

"You sposed to say 'Polo' Daddy" Bella told him seriously.

Luke looked down at her, his eyes meeting with hers; bright blue just like her mother's, "That games stupid" her told her.

Bella gasped, her hand rising to her dramatically opened mouth "No" she breathed.

Luke smiled widely, turning the heat off under both pans before reaching down to lift her up, "Yes" he corrected.

Bella shook her head, trying desperately to keep up the pretence Just as she'd seen her Mommy do many times. "You're Marco" she giggled, pressing her index finger sharply into his chest to emphasise her point.

Luke tightened his hold on her "I'm Daddy and you, monkey are certainly not 'Polo'" he told her.

Bella pressed her palms to his shoulders looking at him as seriously as she possibly could "Isabel Audrey Danes" she nodded.

Luke leant forward, pressing a small kiss to her tiny nose "Beautiful name to match a beautiful girl" he praised before placing her down on a stool at the island. He quickly grabbed a few pieces of paper they kept in a drawer along with some crayons and placed them in front of her, "Breakfast will be ready soon; we eat and then hit the road" he told her enthusiastically.

"We call Mommy?" Bella asked as she put her head down, beginning to draw a variety of shapes on the paper.

Luke poured the eggs onto two plates while shaking his head, "Mommy's phone isn't working at the moment, she called last night when you were in bed."

"She had massage?" she asked, remembering what her Mommy told her she'd be doing while she was away.

"Not yet, I imagine she will today though. We'll try and find the number for the place she's staying at when we get back tomorrow afternoon okay?"

"Okay." Bella agreed, pushing her crayons and paper to the side when Luke appeared beside her with a plate of breakfast. She watched as he placed it carefully in front of her, and immediately reached for the fork at the side of the plate. Luke sat on the stool next to his daughter with his own breakfast, and the pair of them ate together in companionable silence.


	5. Chapter 5

I am so sorry I have not wrote more of this. I told myself that I wouldn't wait weeks and weeks without posting and I waited over 6 months! To be honest, I forgot I started it. It wasn't until I got an alert to say sweet7752 was following the story that I remembered.

so thanks, sweet7752.

it was a little hard to get back into this, but it was a story I wanted to if finish so I hope you guys haven't lost interest. I really appreciate any reviews given, source course they are are encouraged lol. Typed and posted an an iPad, any errors I blame on that lol.

I do not own Gilmore girls- we all know this

...

Luke stood beside is truck, hands on hips, looking down at his young daughter who crouched down on the lawn, stuffing paper and crayons into her backpack. "Need some help with that?"

"No, I got it" Isabel replied, biting down on her lip as she managed to finally fasten the zip. She stood up, leaving the bag on the ground and took the final few steps to the truck. "Ready Daddy?"

Luke looked down at the bag on the ground pointedly, then back to his daughter; so much like his wife in so many ways and had to chuckle slightly. "Oh _I'm_ ready. What about you? Do you need to pee? Yeah, you've probably got to pee right?"

The young Danes girl shook her head "nope, I went already."

"If you're anything like your mother on the road you'll be asking to go within the hour" Luke replied as he bent down to pick up the purple backpack and throw it in the bed of the truck.

Bella gasped and leapt forward "Daddy!" She shrieked, "I need that."

"Then why was it on the floor?" He asked, grabbing it from the back and grinning when Bella took it from him enthusiastically.

"It has my colours, my bear, my candy, my-"

"Who gave you candy?"

"Mommy"

"Of course she did. Right come on, lets go" Luke clapped his hands together, rubbing his palms back and forth a few times before he swooped his daughter Into his arms, opened the truck and secured her in her carseat which Lorelai had already fixed in the front."

"Road trip, road trip, road trip," Bella chanted.

"Let me guess, your Mommy taught you that too right?" He grumbled.

Isabel simply nodded, repeating the chant again... And again and again.

...

"Lorelai, would you care to have the other half of this grapefruit?" Emily asked as the group were served breakfast that morning. Lorelai visibly shivered, dramatically gagging in response to her mothers question. "Oh honestly Lorelai, it was a simple question, grapefruit is good for you in the mornings and it would certainly be good for the baby."

"It's too acidly for the morning mom" Lorelai replied, sipping on her iced lemon water.

"Oh my god! These pancakes are almost as good as Luke's" Rory complimented enthusiastically even before swallowing.

Lorelai looked at her in disbelief before helping herself to a bite from her daughters plate. "You are _way_ off the mark kid" she commented before returning to her strawberries and dry toast.

"Rory, April," Emily started from across the table, "I knocked for you both earlier, thinking you'd like to go for a nice walk before breakfast and neither of you appeared to be in your rooms"

April shook her head, "we were in with Lorelai. She couldn't sleep last night and we all ended up together."

"Yes and they were no help." Lorelai responded. "They both slept, I still didn't" she grumbled between chewing on her toast. She smiled over at Rory's sympathetic look.

"Have you Been having trouble sleeping Lorelai? You should really see a doctor if you-"

"No Mom, I usually sleep fine." She sighed with her reply; of course Emily Gilmore had to make things a bigger issue than they were.

"She's just missing Luke, Grandma" Rory answered for her.

"Oh, Lorelai!" Emily sounded exasperated, but tried to hide her smile, looking over her daughter who she'd watch build a fantastic home and family life over the past 4 years. Her relationship with her daughter was better than it ever had been, yet they would never be as close as she would like; she was far prouder of Lorelai than she'd ever admit. She had truly never seen her this happy and for that, she had Luke to thank. "You've got another 4 nights to survive, you'll just have to get used to it." Lorelai smiled a small accepting smile at her mother to show she had heard her; the last thing she wanted was an argument and while she knew her mother wasn't trying to hurt her, she was feeling extra sensitive and would rather eat her breakfast in peace.

Madeline watched Rory's mother dreamily. "I hope I find someone to miss one day."

Paris gave her a sideways glance, after High school Paris and Rory heard little from Madeline and Louise; they kept in touch briefly and occasionally bumped into each other at parties, but it wasn't until nearly 2 years after their college experience finished that Rory found out one of her colleagues was dating Louise and Madeline was her roommate; of course the relationship between Louise and Matthew never worked out but they'd been on a few double dates with her and Preston and surprisingly they kept in touch. Paris found the pair of them less flakey than high school, but still without prospects and therefore doomed in her opinion. "You know," Paris spoke up, leaning across the table on her elbows towards Lorelai, yet addressing the whole group with her voice. "When I was pregnant with Conrad, I couldn't get enough of Doyle; especially around that middle mark. Pouncing him all the time. How far along are you Lorelai?"

Lorelai widened her eyes a little; she really shouldn't be shocked by Paris' outbursts anymore, but sometimes she never failed to disappoint. "A little over 4 months."

"Mmmhmm, yeah. Well of course that's your problem, all the magazines confirm it- women are at their Horniest when pregnant." Emily choked a little on her grapefruit and an awkward silence suddenly filled the table.

"Paris!" Rory exclaimed, "sorry Mom".

Lorelai shook her head, finally over the shock, "no, it's fine. She's quite right actually... And yes that is beginning to get difficult and I am now expecting that to become a problem for sure, but-"

"Lorelai!" Emily shrieked across the table in disgust.

"Oh, mother, Come on- you've got Dad, you had me. Sure I don't want to think of you two... Like that, but you must remember how it is. Anyway, what I was _trying_ to say was, I just miss him that's all. His smell, the comfort, his breathing at night, everything. And Bella; I've not left her before. Like I said to Rory earlier, I'll be fine once we hit the spa, but for now I think I'm allowed to act a little pathetic."

"Awwww" Madeline and Louise chimed in.

"Oh put a sock in it" Rory laughed at Paris' almost predictable response while April only continued to stare at her food, unable to look in any other direction.

...

"Bono is a stupid name" Bella informed her father.

"Good, I'm glad you're on my side with that one."

"I like Rapunzel!"

"That's not a boys name, sweetie."

"Is the baby a boy?" Isabel turned in her seat as far as it would allow.

Luke shook his head, "well, no; we don't know yet. I don't know if we'll know before it gets here, but Bono for a boy, I thought you were talking about boy names?"

"No, baby names!" Bella sighed as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Mommy said its Bono or Bonnie".

Luke smirked a little while concentrating on the road, "your Mommy thinks its funny to wind Daddy up. You know, she told everyone before you were born that your name was going to be Peaches?"

"Peach is a fruit, that's silly."

"Oh, she knows and that's why she said it. Your Mom likes to be silly about this stuff, but I promise you your baby brother or sister will have a great name, just like you have. Once you were here, finding the perfect name was something she took very seriously. No more fruit names in sight." Luke glanced to the right only to find he'd lost his daughters attention and she was now pulling paper out of her bag. He leant forward to put the radio on, quickly finding a station clear enough to hear what was playing and set the volume on low.

Returning his eyes to the road, he cursed aloud, immediately gaining Isabel's attention once again. "Crap!" His instincts caused him to swerve and brake on the narrow road to dodge the deer that seemingly appeared from nowhere.

The noise of tyres on the road pierced through his ears, a car horn sounded dull in his panic stricken mind as he quickly unfastened his seatbelt in order to comfort his daughter and check that the deer had escaped unharmed. Bella's eyes widened quickly and dramatically, "Daddy!" She squealed.

"It's ok Bel-" Luke quickly saw what she'd seen and without a second thought threw himself over her tiny body a fraction of a second before the collision.

...

"Lane!" Rory rushed towards he best friend in the lobby of the hotel where the group had been waiting for the latest and final arrival.

Lane immediately wrapped her arms tightly around Rory, smiling widely, "sorry I couldn't make it yesterday."

Rory drew back, cutting her off "no, no, the boys first soccer game is far more important, I'm just glad you're here now."

"Yes because now we can finally hit the spa!" Lorelai chimed in, smiling down at the pair of them. "Hey Lane, how was the drive, killer huh?"

Lane waved it off "nah, it was ok, Quite peaceful actually."

Lorelai laughed, "oh yeah...'mommy are we there yet? I need to pee. Are we there yet?'" She mimicked a small child. "Oh poor Luke" she laughed.

Rory merely shook her head with amusement, "you are just as bad".

"Speaking of Luke, I saw him and Isobel leaving this morning." Lane informed her. "Luke look excited."

Lorelai smiled "oh, he is."

"Isabel too of course" Lane quickly added.

Rory laughed a little "little does she know... Rather her than me; all night in a tent and fishing."

Lorelai simply smiled "A special day and night with her Daddy, she's gonna have a great time... Just like us!" She wrapped an arm around each girl "now come on, there's a massage with my name in it."

"Err, Lorelai, I've kinda gotta check in first."


End file.
